Supposedly, but would you have taken that risk?
Let’s not forget that Nina Pham and Amber Vinson also thought they were safe.
“Supposedly, but would you have taken that risk?”
“Lets not forget that Nina Pham and Amber Vinson also thought they were safe.”
I am not a medical professional, however, long before Duncan and Ebola came to the US, I knew that those who are in direct contact treating Ebola patients must have the entire bodies protected and have a process of removing the protective gear in a manner in which material that was contaminated does not touch any human skin.
The hospital in Dallas should have known that as well and protected their staff. The nurses were just doing their jobs, and refusal to do their jobs would have been grounds for termination.
As an elected official, Jenkins was simply doing his job by demonstrating to the public that there was no need for panic or hysteria as he could safely interact with people that may have been exposed to Ebola and even enter an environment where an Ebola patient once lived.
It is not uncommon for political leaders to take such actions. Two events that come to mind are Jimmy Carter going into the Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant after the accident. It may have been the only thing he did in office that was not counterproductive, but his message was that TMI was safe and there was no need to panic.
George W. Bush going to the WTC just days after the attack. He had several messages, the obvious message was to the terrorists and the slightly more subtle message was to Americans and was that NYC was safe.